with Elder Kubricky

with Elder Devin Christensen

with Elder Michael Cheney

with Elder Wilcox

with Elder Matt Pickerd

With Elder Jared Egan

with Elder Ed Houstman

Gyor

with Elder Jared Johnson

Gyor

with Elder Tanner Johnson

Debrecen

with Elder Christensen

Debrecen

with Elder Proctor

Kaposvar

with Elder Runnells

Kaposvar

with Elder Murvai

in Gyor

Monday, December 27, 2010

There's really not much new to write about since we talked Saturday. Yesturday was the 2nd day of Christmas here, but even then, we still had a normal work day seeing as church is on that day. Oh, we have 2 days for New Year's instead of just one day like last year.

Ha I will tell you that too little sleep is making it hard to get up in the mornings but I am still doing it.

I'm actually in a pretty relaxed, calm mood right now but ready for some rest. It's weird that you think, oh holidays are coming up soon. I have some "rest time", grrr. Not really. We travelled a lot and that wiped me out. So it didnt help to stay up a little later and stuff, but it was a rare occasion that I wanted to enjoy. We played some basketball over the weekend. It's a little weird that even though it's pretty cold again, it has warmed up and the snow has melted away. I'm happy for that. This is how it was last year. A little snow then none for Christmas, then after that a bunch came down around the middle of January.

No, I still have gotten NO more packages, but I am sure that I will get them soon. Hopefully today. I'm super excited to see what was sent.

I love you guys and hope the best for you all.

I cant believe that I'll be home in 4 months. Weirdly enough it seems like a long time away. Well I'll talk to you guys later.Happy New Year (wishing it early of course).

Love Elder Josh

Well the pics are of me and my comp trying some of the infamous pig jello here called Kurcsonya. I'm not sure if I spelled it right.

PSS the other side of my right eyebrow was just shaved in a little too far. oooopps. My bad, lol!

Whoa I almost choked and fell over dead. I am actually getting a package from you guys? I have gotten packages from people though. I got some from Raimund already and I also have gotten one from Tante Liesl.

This week was pretty quiet in the beggining, but then near the end it got better.

Wednesday was transfers and I got the chance to have an interivew with President Baughman. As the talk went on, I kinda realized something. With opposition in all things, we need to feel the opposition to truly appreciate the good sides of things. I think that with coming to realize some of the happiest things in my life, I have also needed to experience the bad part, "the oppostion", or maybe the opposition makes me realize the good side of things.

So with that talk and a really diligent comp, who is a really great guy, I am doing great. I feel like I'm just tearing it up now. Now that I'm enjoying it again, the time will fly and I'll better the people and work here. I still hate the snow and things aren't the easiest to be working in, but life's good. Sadly, I'm feeling each night that I might be getting a little sicker and then on top of that, somehow I have my hip flexer pulled and it's way tender and hurts to walk, I'm almost done though. I'm super happy. I have so much waiting for me at home.

Well to continue, Thursday, I don't even remember,Friday we went out to a little villiage named Kurd. Its near Dombóvár, which is like an hour away, but a German family lives there that are really nice. We only visit them once a transfer because it was a day-long thing. They made a really nice lunch/dinner for us. While there i really felt like a greenie again. Its been a long time since I learned some German, but I could hear so many words that were familiar, and since I recognized them, but could not remember the meaning, it got way annoying. I felt like I should know those words, but then again, its been like 3-4 years since I studied it and never really knew it, so it's no big deal, but it made me want to learn it again. If I can learn Hungarian, then I definitely could learn German. The only thing is that the way I want to learn it, to speak like a native, would be through living there for a year or two, but I don't don't have the time to just move to Germany for the sole purpose of learning German! It'd be way cool, though. The son there knew how to speak English, so I could say my two phrases that I can remember and then I'd have him translate.

Saturday we were invited to our branch presidents house for a Christmas lunch. We did it a week earlier because he is from Pécs and so he is going to have the Pécs Elders over another time. He has a daughter over in England on her mission. She is on the little island called Jersey between France and England. It's really small, but that would be fun. Anyway, we just looked at pics of that and ate some Tiltölt kápolszta. (stuffed cabbage). Its SOOOOO good. Then after that we had some time to spare before our bus left so we went to the Christmas party to say hi over at the Pécs branch house and so I got to say hi to a lot of the Pécs member again and got to actually talk with them now that I know how to do that. When I was there before, I couldn't speak Hungarian yet very well.

Other than that we have had a little branch get together, we had an investigator come as Santa and hand things out.

Well things are going pretty good here. The work is picking up and we are getting things done.

It's hard to believe I'm in my 13th tranfer. HOLY crud. And I'll be 21 in a little over a month. Also for Christmas we have zone conference Thursday, then Friday we'll be in Veszprém with Elder Mason, then Pécs on Saturday and stuff. I don't know details on what we'll do. I am just ready for some mental rest. All the traveling and the cold is just wearing me down, so it's going to be nice to have a break.

Well thanks for all the stuff. I don't know what it is yet, but thanks anyways.

I love you guys.Have a wonderful Christmas and we will talk soon. Love Elder Hosch

Yesterday I gave a talk in church and it was based off of President Monson's talk this last conference, the one about expressing gratitude in any situation. I honestly think that I got more out of it than the members that I gave the talk to. As I was preparing that morning, I just felt like I really need to take that talk into my own life a lot more powerfully than I have been. It kind of goes back to my whole trying to be more optimistic. He started off his talk by going over the part in Luke 17 where there were ten lepers and they knew to turn to Jesus for help, but then after doing what he said and being healed, only one turned back and thanked Him for that. It make me think, ya I'm out here and I'm "following" what He has asked me to do, but how earnest have I been in telling Him that I'm grateful for what I have received from all of this. I really felt an urge to just start praying about what I am thankful for. I can only give you a few guesses about what those things are, but it was one of the more spiritually powerful prayers I have had in my life. It just felt so good to read the words of the prophet, take heed to them and then act on them and really feel the joy that comes from it. I love getting those little boosts here and there to really make things more special. I really needed that at that time and I am glad that I took what it takes to just DO IT (Thank you Nike).

Time isn't going by too fast right now but I think that it will soon. Next week we have Zone Conference and then after that we have 3 super P days. The Monday after that I might have to be going up to the place where we get our visas cause my new comp is now in his second transfer. The greenie that was here in Kaposvár with an Elder Miller is now coming over with me. His name is David Runnells. He is from Utah and a way cool guy. We will have some fun. He is really obedient and will teach me a thing or two and we'll just have fun with Christmas and then my b-day. (21!!!)

Man you guys wrote so much I dont even know where to start. Dad wrote me too and it's just so much for me to e mail, especially because Mom, you know how fast I type. That's definetely one thing that I need to learn when I get home. I am a little faster than I was, but still type pretty bad. I need to get going on that.

Dad sure wrote a powerful letter to me that really really helped. Things have been pretty rough lately with so many people dogging us and the work being basically frozen to a slower state cause of the weather. It's pretty cold here too, but really hasn't snowed yet. It's been right around freezing for a week and a half or so. The air is so dry and just cold, I hate the cold, it's not fun at all. But I have been way down and think so much about coming home. Not seriously, but it's one of those dumb thoughts that come across your mind when you are just way struggling, but I love what I have learned out here and love that I have met some of the most amazing people out here. Like the whole ward in Gyor, plus there's a girl that's from Győr who is like my little sister. I love that ward so much I would do anything to go finish my mission there. Some of the young men there are some of my best buds. One that I have become really close friends with might be going on a mission, too. I worked so hard with him to be a good example and a really close friend. He wasn't very active, we would go over to his house and let him see that the church can be fun and means so much to us. I don't know where I would be with out it. One thing I would like Jeremy to realize is that, ya it may be hard, but when you are taken from all the things that you have as a normal person, the things that we get preoccupied with that distract us, we get to really find out about ourselves. We get to hone in on what we are good at, see where we are weak and learn how to work on that, all while we are helping others to be better, too. Because to really understand others, you kind of have to put yourself in their shoes. It's so much evaluation that we don't realize it all the time, but we learn to think within ourselves and truly become better. I have learned where I want to take my life. I have better come to know how we lose our lives to find them. Things get hard because everything that I enjoy doing I can't do right now. It's like signing up for two years of grounded time. Two weeks of no Nintendo was tough at home, but then you come here and it's nothing, lol!

It has benefitted me in so many ways and I'm trying to be more of an optimistic person out here. If I only look at the bad, then I only feel the bad. If I look at the good, the bad stinks, ya, but it's easier to forget it.

Well it seems that the Bishop wasnt kidding when he said that I would be the first of many to go out. When the time comes around to go home for me, there will be many guys from our ward who will be getting papers in or are already out. It's cool to hear how many are getting ready.

There were a few times this transfer already that people have told me that I have a really strong European accent and others say I have no accent, saying that I sound like a Hungarian when I speak. It's one of the coolest compliments that you can get when learning a language and from the natives too.

Well also this week I thought that I got my package from you guys, but I actually got one from Raimund. He is soooo nice. He really looks forward to seeing us up there after my mission. I wonder if all that could go through. He sent some of the left over forint that he didnt use and then he sent some wrapped Christmas presents. That's a real test of patience, having to wait to open them. Lol.

Well I love you guys and hope that you have a csodálatos hét (wonderful week)Love you.Enjoy the pics. Im going to start taking more.Love Elder Hosch

The week of Thanksgiving, the missionaries didn't have their usual p-day on Monday because they were going to have a "super" p-day on Thursday, Thanksgiving. It's so wonderful to know that when serving abroad, home traditions are not forgotten. Elder Hosch and his companion, Elder Proctor, and several other missionaries were treated to a Thanksgiving feast prepared and served by a missionary couple, The Rollingson's. They posted this picture on their blog:"Eight hungry Elders serving in Pécs and Kaposvár. Elders Galland, Mullen, Bennion, Proctor, Crandall, Miller, Runnells and Hosch."

It's so great to know that there are people like the Rollingson's (a missionary couple), mission President and his wife, members, investigators, and even strangers who are so good to these young men and women who go out to serve others and forget themselves for 2 years. Cyndi